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An area of countryside the size of Birmingham has been lost to development since 2006, a study of satellite images of Britain shows.

More than 34,600 acres of farmland and 17,000 acres of forest were converted to “artificial surfaces”, including roads and buildings, from 2006 to 2012, the study found. More than 2,400 acres of wetlands were lost over the same period and mining companies converted 12,300 acres of farmland to mineral extraction sites.

The study by the University of Leicester found 8 per cent of Britain was covered by artificial surfaces in 2012, with the rest mainly farmland.